Study on the degradation mechanism of heat-treated wood by UV light.

摘要

Heat-treated wood is a wood product thermally treated at high temperatures in the range of 180°C and 240°C for its preservation without using any additional chemicals. Heat treatment modifies wood both chemically and physically. Amorphous polysaccharide content (hemicelluloses) decreases, condensation and demethoxylation of lignin take place, and certain extractives are removed. Consequently, heat-treated wood possesses new physical properties such as reduced hygroscopy, improved dimensional stability, better resistance to degradation by insects and micro-organisms, and attractive darker color. These new beneficial and attractive properties make heat-treated wood popular for indoor as well as outdoor applications.;This work was undertaken to study the weathering degradation mechanisms of the three North American regional species (jack pine (Pinus banksiana ), aspen (Populus tremuloides), and birch ( Betula papyrifera)) heat-treated under different conditions to understand the chemical and physical changes taking place and to compare these changes with those of untreated controlled samples when they are exposed to artificial weathering with and without water spray for various periods. Several techniques and tools were used such as color measurement, contact angle test for wettability analysis, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) for chemical analysis, florescence microscopy (FM), and scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) for microscopic structural analysis. These provide a great deal of insight into the degradation process.;The results show that color changes occurring during weathering of heat-treated woods are due to the increasing lignin condensation and decreasing extractives content on wood surfaces caused by heat treatment. Changes in wettability during weathering of heat-treated wood are induced by the combination of surface structural and chemical modifications. Lignin in heat-treated woods is more sensitive to weathering than other components. It is proposed that the weathering mechanism of heat-treated woods consists of the degradation of lignin matrix and extractives, which lightens the wood color. As a result, the color difference between the color of heat-treated wood before weathering and the color of the same wood during weathering increases with exposure time. Then, the leaching of other polymers present on wood surface takes place, consequently, the color returns back to its initial state and the color difference declines.;However, similar to untreated wood, heat-treated wood is also susceptible to degradation due to environmental conditions. Weathering results in poor aesthetics for heat-treated wood because of the discoloration and surface checking when exposed to UV radiation. However, investigations on the wettability changes, chemical changes, and microscopic changes of heat-treated wood after exposure to artificial weathering are very limited; and there is no publication available in the literature on the degradation taking place due to the weathering of heat-treated North American jack pine, aspen, and birch used in this study.